15 March 2012

Oh Baby, Baby.....for Ainslie, Not Me

First off, I have ABSOLUTELY NO plans to have another baby any time in the near future.

Keep that firmly in mind.

However, the day I saw Ainslie pick up one of the baby dolls at daycare and rock it before putting it in the (real baby-sized) bouncer seat and bouncing it up and down, my heart melted into a big puddle of parental gooey-ness. Since then, it's been all "baby, baby, baby" around these parts (again, for her, not me).

Soon, Ainslie and I embarked upon a hunt for a baby doll that didn't cry, wet itself, or dance every time you walk past it. This is a very difficult proposition, let me tell you. A couple stores and a lot of creepy "Dance with me Elmo"s later, we found a small one at Target with no bells and whistles, just a whole lot of cuteness, and Ainslie instantly adopted it, hugging it and rocking it all the way through the store.

I lure you in with my bold colors and then erupt into a cacophany of noise when you least expect it, muah-ha-ha-haaaaaaa

To spare you from a long post of all the ways Ainslie is super cute taking care of her new "babies", I have made a list:

- In addition to "Lily", the doll we got at the store, we rediscovered a plush doll that my mom had gotten for Ainslie when she was born. I asked Ainslie what the plush doll's name was and she responded "Didi" with a mater-of-factness that insinuated that she'd already given this as much if not more thought than the average pregnant couple does. I half expected her to tell me what Didi meant in Hebrew or what sort of family significance it held.

- She regularly walks around the house calling "Didi...DiiiiiiiDiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." until she finds one or the other of her dolls, and then gasps in delight when she finds them and rocks them and holds them until she, distracted by another toy, drops them on the floor. I never said she was completely maternal.

- Didi and Lily have a "bed" (just one, because I could only find one empty shoebox and hey, we're a co-sleeping family anyways) lined with old burp cloths and receiving blankets.

- Before bed most nights, Ainslie will gently tuck them in and slide them under her crib. Tonight, she leaned down and gave Lily a kiss on the cheek and looked at her with such affection. I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little, it was so darn cute.